03 December 2012

New model oh-so-hotness Virguens Vergin is tall, dark, flawless and his muscles are "bulging" in all the right places. The 22-year-old Virguens is a native of Haiti and has lived in the United States since he was 7-years-old.

03 April 2011

(PUNTA CANA, D.R.) LGBT Haitians have been largely ignored by international aid organizations and the government in post earthquake Haiti—resulting in increased discrimination, violence and the rape of gay men, lesbians and transgender women.

R20 readers may recall that several HIV clinics and their staff were quake casualties. At least 14 gay HIV positive activists were killed after the collapse of SEROvie, Haiti’s largest organization serving gay and transgender people with HIV. Thousands of HIV positive Haitians were cut off from their life-saving anti-retroviral medications. Sadly, that was just the beginning.

When asked to identify the greatest impact of the earthquake on their lives, the majority of LGBT people interviewed for this paper indicated that it decimated the already limited physical spaces, social networks and support services available to them. According to one Port-au-Prince lesbian, "Loneliness, invisibility, and social isolation are persistent problems for us." ...

Overcrowding, flimsy structures, inadequate lighting, public bathing facilities, and general insecurity in IDP camps have increased the risk of gender-based violence for all women and people viewed as gender non-conforming, including LGBT people. SEROvie has documented the rape of lesbians, gay men and transgender women in or near camps. In August, 2010 for example, Sandy, a 24-year-old lesbian was brutally raped by eight men at the Champs de Mars camp. Additionally, SEROvie documented more subtle forms of sexual exploitation in which LGBT people were coerced into engaging in sexual relations with straight-identified men for food or money. A group of lesbian and bisexually-identified women interviewed by SEROvie and IGLHRC reported that sexual violence and corrective rape were “definitely a problem” in the IDP camps.

Even some well-intentioned policies have led to the suffering of LGBT people. International relief organizations distribute emergency food to female heads of household, but that excludes many gay men and transgender people living without families. "One man reported dressing as a woman to receive food. He was later beaten by people standing nearby," adds the report.

12 January 2011

By the beginning of 2010, Haiti had made significant progress toward lowering its once-astronomical HIV rate. In 1993, 9.4 percent of the impoverished nation was infected with HIV, a number that represented almost half the people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in the entire Caribbean. By 2008 the adult HIV prevalence in Haiti had fallen to 2.2 percent--approximately 120,000 people, 53 percent of whom were women--reports the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

Then came the catastrophic 7.0 earthquake of Jan. 12, 2010, which flattened much of Port-au-Prince. Many hospitals and HIV/AIDS clinics were crippled, if not destroyed, and the health-care system that had proudly enabled the Caribbean nation to control its HIV/AIDS epidemic collapsed .Relief and international funding did not arrive quickly enough. Less than 40 percent of the 24,000 people prescribed antiretroviral medications (ARVs) had access to them. Up to a million people were displaced and began living in camps, which, with their poor sanitary conditions, soon became virtual petri dishes of disease.

Billions of dollars aid was promised to the island and very little has arrived. The earthquake-ravaged, impoverished nation remains in ruins and is now fighting a cholera epidemic. "I think we could well have 200,000 to 300,000 [more] affected by HIV," says Ester Boucicault, who founded a clinic and was the first Haitian to publicly disclose their HIV-positive status.

10 January 2011

Colts wide receiver and number one stunna Pierre Garçon flips over as he scored a touchdown ... but still couldn't prevent the team's 16-17 loss to the Jets. Thankfully a few images captured the thigh-tastic Garçon's muscular assets.

Club Turk Baths, "one of San Francisco’s first gay bathhouses as well as
one of its last", soon to become a doggy day-care hotel.

Wanted: Ebonics translators. The Drug Enforcement Agency is looking to "hire 9 translators fluent in 'ebonics' to help monitor, transcribe and translate conversations recorded in drug investigations." No shitznit?

Towleroad posts a thoughtful interview with John Amaechi, who reflects on coming out after leaving the NBA. "I keep in touch with some [players], most don’t keep in touch and made it clear that they didn’t want people to think they were gay, some are gay and think I am too under [much] scrutiny to be associated with without the risk that they are outed." Amaechi was also asked if he ever had any kind of relationship with a NBA player. Amaechi responded: "Not romantic."

08 March 2010

British actor Idris Elba covers the current Uptown. Haitian photographer Marc Baptiste lenses a luxe but predictable music video style editorial. BTW, Baptiste is the photographer at the center of the nude picture scandal surrounding Wyclef Jean's former manager.

Elba was most recently seen opposite Beyonce in "Obsessed" and is now executive producing a new legal drama for NBC. He's also DJing and his CD "High Class Problems Vol I" just dropped in the UK. In the editorial, the actor continues the recent editorial trend of Lanvin, Gucci and D&G. The cover and another image WHEN YOU JUMP ...

13 February 2010

During last night's opening ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, "We Are the World: 25 For Haiti" made its premiere to millions around the globe. It's the updated version of the 1985 charity single that will benefit relief efforts in earthquake-stricken Haiti. More info here.

The new version of "We Are the World" has a completely different cast than its predecessor. Only a digitized version of the late Michael Jackson remains, with his sister Janet singing along to his vocal tracks from the original. The sound is ... current and unfortunately most of the singers voices are Auto-Tuned. One of the highlights: Nicole Scherzinger and Jennifer Hudson harmonize and then J-Hud delivers a powerhouse performance on the verses originally performed by Stevie Wonder.

More than 80 artists participated. Jamie Foxx continues to channel the late Ray Charles, who was at the session 25 years ago. LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, Kanye West and Mary J. Blige have solos. Lil Wayne and Vince Vaughn (srsly) make appearances, too.

The track was never one of my favorite songs in the 80s and this version still doesn't terribly impress me. But anything to help raise money or awareness for Haiti is a good thing. Love to hear your thoughts. Watch the version that debuted last night WHEN YOU JUMP ...

27 January 2010

Speaking on the floor of House of Representatives last night, Florida Democrat Rep. Alan Grayson called out right-wing Christian evangelicals and Pat Robertson for his ridiculous comments about the Haitian earthquake. Grayson brought up the right-wing attempts to "ban gay marriage" and a woman's right to choose and asked: "What about your own pact with the devil? How's that worked out for you?"